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Bubbles Bring Trouble For Man Dumped From Wheelchair

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 23, 2008

TAMPA - Brian Sterner, captured on video being dumped from his wheelchair by a Hillsborough County detention deputy, recently received a criminal complaint against him because he poured liquid bubbles on a neighbor's vehicle, said another neighbor, Mike Brandon.

Sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway confirmed Sterner is under investigation after a complaint from one of his neighbors, but he wouldn't discuss specifics or the charges Sterner faces.

The sheriff's office referred a felony and a misdemeanor charge to the state attorney's office after the incident, which occurred about 7 p.m. Saturday, Callaway said.

Sterner's attorney, Michael Maddux, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Sterner poured the liquid bubbles on the vehicle because it blocked his wheelchair's path along a sidewalk, Brandon said.

"We saw him pour the bubbles on the rear bumper of the vehicle," he said.

The son of the neighbor who owns the vehicle then saw Sterner pour the bubbles inside the vehicle and leave, Brandon said.

"The people whose car it was chased after him," Brandon said. "It turned into a yelling match."

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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